Tennessee Online Poker Rooms
Is Poker Legal In Tennessee?
Poker is not legal in Tennessee. State law (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-501) defines gambling as risking anything of value on a game with any chance element and this includes poker. Commercial poker rooms are all prohibited and enforcement includes misdemeanor or felony charges, with penalties ranging from fines to jail time. Legislative attempts to legalize poker have failed, and Tennessee’s restrictive stance and constitutional gambling ban make reform unlikely.
- Online poker in Tennessee is unregulated and exists in a legal gray area, as poker sites located outside of the country are protected under the Free Trade Agreement and no players have been prosecuted to our knowledge.
What Is The Legal Poker Age In Tennessee?
Technically, Tennessee does not have a legal poker age limit as they have yet to regulate the activity. So, the age restrictions (21) follow other forms of gambling available in the state (casino and sports betting). However, the state lottery and horse racing set a minimum age of 18, so check with the online poker site or the state you're playing in for more information. Online poker sites in Tennessee, like Ignition and BetOnline, accept users who are 18.
Live Poker Rooms In Tennessee
There are no live poker rooms in Tennessee. If you are looking for states with poker, you have to visit a neighboring state.
Closest Live Poker Rooms
To find the closest live poker rooms from Tennessee, it depends on which city you're in.
- Those living in Memphis often travel south to Tunica, Mississippi, located just 40 minutes away. Tunica boasts a variety of casinos with poker rooms near Memphis, such as Hollywood Casino and Gold Strike Casino, both offering daily games and poker tournaments.
- The nearest poker rooms to Nashville are in North Carolina, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive east to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee. This large casino offers a poker room with various games and tournaments, as well as a hotel to stay the night if needed.
- If you're in Knoxville, the drive to Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in Murphy, North Carolina, is only about two hours. This smaller, but equally exciting, poker room near Knoxville offers the opportunity to enjoy live poker in the picturesque Appalachian region. This is also the closest poker room to Chattanooga.
- For those in West Tennessee, Arkansas is the place to go (if not wanting to go to Tunica). Players can head west to Hot Springs or Pine Bluff to visit Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and Saracen Casino Resort, both of which feature poker rooms. Similarly, Virginia has casinos like Hard Rock Bristol with over a dozen poker tables near the Tennessee border.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On How To Play Poker In Tennessee
Can You Play Poker At Home For Money?
Social poker games, such as friendly home games and charitable poker tournaments, are explicitly illegal in Tennessee. Unlike many states with poker that permit private, rake-free games among friends, Tennessee law contains no social gambling exception. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-501 and § 39-17-502, any game involving the risking of value on a return contingent in any degree on chance is considered gambling. Informal home poker games fall within this prohibition and hosting or playing in such games can carry penalties: players may face Class C misdemeanor charges (punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine), while hosts risk Class B misdemeanors or even Class E felony charges if found to be supervising a gambling operation.
Charitable poker events are similarly banned under Tenn. Code Ann. § 3-17-102(8)(B), which explicitly excludes poker games and tournaments from the types of fundraising activities allowed under Tennessee’s charitable gaming laws. The Tennessee Attorney General has further clarified that poker tournaments, even for nonprofit purposes, are considered gambling and potentially illegal lotteries in violation of Tenn. Const. art. XI, § 5. While some states offer narrow exceptions for charity or low-stakes games, Tennessee maintains a strict no-tolerance policy.
- While this sounds scary, the probability of the police breaking up a friendly poker game amongst friends is rare unless it is heavily advertised or causing a nuisance.
Can I Play On BetMGM Poker In Tennessee?
BetMGM Poker is unavailable to players in Tennessee; however, neighboring West Virginia provides a possible alternative in the near future. West Virginia has already legalized online poker, and with BetMGM's existing partnership with The Greenbrier, it’s highly likely that the platform will be live there. As a result, players in Tennessee could potentially access BetMGM Poker by crossing the state line to play legal online poker in West Virginia.
Is Ignition Poker Legal In Tennessee?
Yes, you can legally play on Ignition Poker from Tennessee because there are no state or federal laws that prohibit you from playing on offshore poker sites. You get full access to real-money poker in Tennessee, from juicy cash games to high-stakes tournaments, and also choose from some of the best online poker bonuses in the US at Ignition. Ignition gives you a tournament search tool that makes finding the perfect game easier than ever. Whether you’re hunting for a quick Sit & Go or a high-stakes MTT, this feature helps you filter by game type, buy-in, and schedule, so you can spend less time searching and more time stacking chips.
Is Bovada Legal In Tennessee?
Bovada Poker was once a great option for Tennessee players. There’s no law in Tennessee that makes it illegal for individuals to play poker at Bovada. However, as our Bovada poker review covers, the site made the decision to stop accepting new players from Tennessee, cutting off access despite no actual legal ban. That means while it's not illegal for you to play, Bovada has voluntarily geo-restricted your state.
Is BetOnline Poker Available in Tennessee?
Yes, BetOnline Poker is available in Tennessee. You can legally sign up, deposit, and jump into the action from anywhere in the state, and right now, the big draw is the Poker Mystery Bounty Jackpot Maximizer. With $30 Sit & Gos and $55 Mystery Bounty tournaments, you’ve got two exciting ways to chase a jackpot that can soar past $100,000. Even if you miss the big one, every knockout still earns a consolation prize, and satellite entries start as low as $0.25.